Golden State Warriors: 3 Key takeaways from Game 1
By Tony Pesta
Win without Draymond Green
Draymond Green did not last long in Memphis.
Green only tallied 17 minutes before a hard foul in the second quarter led to a flagrant 2 and prompt ejection for the former Defensive Player of the Year.
The Warriors entered halftime with a six-point deficit on their heart and soul stuck in the locker room for the next 24 minutes of basketball.
It would have been easy for the Dubs to deliver a stinker in the second half. After all, Green is the driving force behind so much of their success on both ends of the floor. The Warriors have only played one playoff game without Green since 2015 and it was their infamous Game 5 loss to Cleveland in 2016.
Instead of folding, Golden State found timely production from guys such as Otto Porter, Jonathan Kuminga and Kevon Looney. More on this later.
Capturing a Game 1 victory was huge for a few reasons. Not only is it impressive that this team held up in the face of adversity — but they managed to steal homecourt advantage in the process. The Dubs dodged a bullet and gained momentum all at the same time.